Thriller Writer Gayle Lynds Shares Advice for Tackling Writer’s Block with GOTHAM Writer’s Workshop
Gayle Lynds, author of The New York Times bestseller Masquerade, shares her thoughts on writer’s block.  If you want to read more of the interview, then read it here on Gotham’s website.

(I’ve highlighted in bold italics the line that jumped out at me, see if helps you next time you’re stuck…)

Q: What is your method for overcoming writers block?
I wish there were a pill for this.  I find time is critical. Often a writer is simply creatively tired, or ones unconscious is working on character, plot, or somesuch, and that has brought ones writing to a painful halt. To remedy that, time is needed. On other other hand, I always ask myself, What is the villain doing? The villain drives the plot, whether its a minimalist literary piece or a grandiose potboiler. If you know what your villain is doing, whether it is man, beast, or god, generally you will be able to uncover where the book or story needs to go next.

I suspect the reason I’m getting a little distracted when I sit down to work is because my desk has started to overwhelm me.  The mess, which was once just mildly irritating, one more thing on a long to-do list, has become so messy I can’t help but see it every time I sit down.

Time to tidy my workspace, and get it ready for the messy business of writing.  What is your workspace like?  

I’ve noticed a few YA novels around that are contemporary retellings of fairy tales, like the one I’m just about to read: Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon.  On the cover it’s described as a twist on the classic tale.  It seemed that some of you might enjoy this as a writing exercise.  Take a fairy tale and make it your own.

What’s great about using a story that’s already written is that the structure is in place already.  You just need to rethink the characters and the setting.  How about Snow White set in Saskatoon, or Little Red Riding Hood as a transgender teen?